NicoleLyn Pesce

So some universities are bringing vending machines on campus that dispense Plan B, which is sometimes referred to as “the morning-after pill,” the Wall Street Journal reports, as well as other over-the-counter sexual health products such as condoms, and menstrual products like tampons and maxi pads.

The Journal, which shares the same parent company as MarketWatch, notes that Barnard College is installing such vending machines to increase 24/7 access to OTC safe-sex products, as well as to help shed the stigma or anxiety that students may feel in purchasing them at a drugstore or visiting an on-campus clinic. The Plan B pills are free for students covered by the university’s health insurance plan and $15 without coverage at the health center, and $15 in the machine. Almost 17% of sexually active undergraduates used, or said that a partner used, emergency contraception in the past year, according to a recent American College Health Association survey.

Stanford University, Dartmouth College and a few University of California campuses have also added vending machines with Plan B or the generic alternative in recent years, while Yale University students are advocating for one (Connecticut law currently bans the selling OTC drugs in vending machines, however), and the student council at Miami University in Ohio voted last month to support selling emergency contraception in campus markets.

Self-service machines are also starting to offer goods such as champagne, oysters, steaks and used cars. They are an upgrade from the standard office vending machines that are generally stocked with soda and junk food, that’s for sure. As the global vending machine market is expected to draw $5.4 billion by 2023, the self-service machines are getting more sophisticated — and offering more eclectic goodies. Here are a few of the most notable.

1. This coin-op is ready to pop. The Sagamore Pendry Baltimore hotel is debuting a Möet & Chandon champagne vending machine on National Champagne Day on Dec. 31. The intoxicating case is one of only 12 of its kind in the country, and will hold 320 bottles of 187 milliliter splits of sparkling brut and rosé worth $25 apiece. The machine only accepts golden Möet & Chandon tokens, however, so guests must exchange their cash for the speciality coins at the reception desk before they can start popping the petite bottles. Plus, the Baltimore boutique hotel will also hide three “golden bottles” among the bubbly in the machine, which grant the lucky buyer prizes such as a complimentary dinner for two at the hotel’s signature restaurant, Rec Pier Chop House, or even a free two-night stay at Sagamore Pendry Baltimore.

2. The Applestone Meat Co. outside of Woodstock, N.Y. has been staking its claim in the self-service department via vending machines stuffed with strip steaks, pork chops and Italian sausage. There’s four at the Stone Ridge location, and the owner -- who estimates the Stone Ridge machines sell about 3,000 pounds of meat per week, told Bloomberg that he’s opening 10 meat vending machines in Scarsdale next year, with his sights set on Manhattan later in 2019.

3. The world is really your oyster. Last year a couple of oyster farmers from Ile de Ré off of France’s western coast set up a vending machine inside their market, L’Huitrière de Ré, so that customers can get the yummy bivalves anytime. Seafoodies can place their orders in advance via text, or simply walk up to the indoor machine and select their oyster order using a credit card. A dozen costs around $8. The molluscs are sold closed to ensure freshness, so minor shucking is involved. And each are replaced daily.

4. You might never have to shop again. The hip Japanese clothing store Uniqlo, known for its affordable basics, began rolling out vending machines selling essentials like T-shirts and down jackets in summer 2017. And one such machine that began selling $50 puffer vests at San Francisco International Airport this past summer earns $10,000 a month, Business Insider reported. Items are dispensed in boxes or cans, and customers can return anything that doesn’t fit in stores or by mail.

5. This vending machine has more than its fair share of picks. A music supply store in Melbourne, Australia, launched a 24-hour vending machine just in case you happen to need a guitar string or tuner at odd hours. The Clingan Guitar Tone’s machine also includes drumsticks, guitar straps and even a capo — a clamp used to help tune string instruments. The items go for between $3 to $9, or a bit more than your typical soft drink automat. Clingan Guitar Tone is touting the 24 Hour Tone Shop, as the machine is called, as Australia’s first automated dispenser of musical instruments.

6. Carvana doesn’t want to be just any used car salesman. That’s why the Texas retailer sells cars out of a vending machine. Here’s how it works: search for a secondhand auto among 10,000 vehicles online, and choose to have it shipped either to your home, or to a nearby vending machine. (Its San Antonio flagship is a glass structure that’s eight stories high). Carvana provides you with an oversized keepsake coin; just pop it into a slot, and voilà. Carvana debuted its newest car vending machine in Indianapolis just this past week, which joins the others in Texas, Tennessee, Florida, North Carolina, Maryland, Arizona, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

7. The Berdoll Pecan Farm in Texas has long been a must-visit stop on Highway 71. To deal with lengthy crowds of hungry consumers, the pecan farm installed a vending machine that hawks entire pecan pies, as well as bags of pecans, even at odd hours.

8. A rite of passage for new employees at Facebook and Dropbox involves picking up tech supplies ranging from keyboards to laptops at in-house smart vending machines. The dispensers are made by Indianapolis-based IVM which says they reduce the logistics headache while making it easy to track stock levels.

With Jeanette Settembre

This article was originally published in August 2017, and has been updated with the Plan B pill and champagne machines, and other vending developments.

See the world with cash-color glasses. Get a weekly digest of personality finance: features, pop-culture and essays. Sign up here.

Intraday Data provided by SIX Financial Information and subject to terms of use. Historical and current end-of-day data provided by SIX Financial Information. All quotes are in local exchange time. Real-time last sale data for U.S. stock quotes reflect trades reported through Nasdaq only. Intraday data delayed at least 15 minutes or per exchange requirements.